---
name: video-design
description: >
  Tunes a video's visual and pacing craft — color, typography, cut rate, kinetic
  text, safe zones — into concrete Spectra polish parameters. Use when a video
  looks/feels off, the user asks how it should be paced, what color/font size to
  use, why it isn't engaging, or how to make it feel premium or authentic. Not for
  choosing or leveling specific music/sound-effect cues, use `audio-cues` instead.
user-invocable: false
---

# Video Design (craft → Spectra render settings)

The CRAFT companion to `product-marketing` (strategy). Product-marketing decides
WHAT to make, for WHOM, and WHERE it ships; this skill decides HOW it should look,
sound, and move so it lands. Full source playbook: `references/SOURCE-GUIDE.md`.

## The one rule that governs everything
Every frame is doing one of three jobs: create an emotion, build a cognitive model,
or motivate an action. 95% of purchase decisions happen unconsciously — design for
emotion first, logic second, action third. This is the science **behind** the
product-marketing story spine; this skill amplifies each beat of that spine.

## Emotion arc — within a single video (Feel → Think → Do)
1. **Recognition (0–5s):** viewer identifies with the pain — "yes, that's me."
2. **Tension (5–20s):** amplify stakes — mild discomfort demanding resolution.
3. **Relief (20–40s):** show the solution working — release the tension.
4. **Conviction (40–60s):** proof/social validation — ratify with logic.
5. **Direction (final 10s):** one clear CTA — frictionless next step.

Target emotion also shifts by funnel stage: TOFU = curiosity/recognition; MOFU =
confidence/intrigue; BOFU = trust/urgency; retention = pride/belonging.

## Design philosophy selector
| Philosophy | Pick when | Fails when |
|---|---|---|
| **Minimalist** (Apple) | Consumer apps, Watch, macOS native, premium AI; website hero, App Store | Complex B2B (10+ features); dev tools where terminal/IDE chrome IS the product |
| **High-design** (Vercel/Linear) | Dev tools, AI platforms, startup launches — design signals product quality | Consumer mass-market (exclusionary); non-technical enterprise buyers |
| **Lo-fi/authentic** (Loom) | Founder-led social, Product Hunt, dev demos, social/tight-cut channels | Website hero, App Store, paid acquisition, enterprise committees |

Full selector + anti-patterns: `references/philosophies-antipatterns.md`.

## Color
60-30-10 per frame (60% neutral background, 30% brand, 10% accent/CTA). Dark mode
default for dev tools/AI/native macOS; light mode for long-form text and non-technical
B2B. Vary saturation by funnel moment: vibrant at awareness, clean at demo, single
high-contrast accent at the CTA frame. Full color→emotion map: `references/color.md`.

## Typography (concrete floors)
- Max words/frame: 5–15 social, 10–20 demo overlay, 20 ideal/40 max slide.
- Font-size floor (1080p): body 40–60px, headline 60–90px; **+20–30% for 9:16**.
- Dwell: ≥1s per 13 characters, clock starts AFTER animate-in finishes.
- Safe zones: keep text out of platform chrome (exact px per platform in the ref card).
- **Redundancy rule:** on-screen text must NOT verbatim-repeat the VO — keyword
  highlights are fine; callouts spatially integrated on the UI element are good even
  when redundant.
Full specs: `references/typography.md`.

## Sound
Music BPM + direction by audience (80–100 BPM sparse/ambient for dev tools, up to
115–130 punchy for Product Hunt). Mix music at -15 to -20 dBFS under VO, VO at -6 to
-3 dBFS, instrumental only. VO pace: 150 WPM ≈ 1 minute of natural narration (110–120
deliberate, 130–150 conversational, 150–170 up-tempo, 170–200 commercial ceiling).
Add 0.5–1s of silence around the video's key metric. Voice tone matches the audience's
self-image, not the founder's preference. Full tables: `references/sound.md`.
To pick the actual bed/cue FILES and their render levels, load
`Skill("spectra:audio-cues")` — it maps each demo-script beat to a cue in
`assets/audio/` and sets the prep levels `polish-script` does not apply for you.

## Pacing / cut rate
Cuts-per-minute by channel (30–60 TikTok/Shorts down to 6–12 YouTube tutorial). The
3-second social rule: hook must land by second 3, first cut by 1.5–2s. Pattern
interrupts every 20–40s, timed to content boundaries (never mid-demo). One idea per
beat — never overlap explain + demonstrate + prove in a single segment. Full rules +
Tight-Edit-vs-Breathe resolution: `references/pacing.md`.

## Channel quick reference
| Channel | Text min size | Cut rate | Max words/frame | Voice pace | Design register |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn feed | 60px (vert) / 36px (16:9) | 15–25/min | 15 | 140–160 WPM | Conversational, warm professional |
| YouTube tutorial | 36px | 8–15/min | 20 | 130–150 WPM | Deliberate, structured |
| YouTube Shorts | 60px | 25–40/min | 10 | 160–180 WPM | Energetic, fast payoff |
| TikTok/Reels | 64px | 30–60/min | 8 | 150–175 WPM | Authentic, punchy |
| App Store preview | no text allowed | ~1 scene/5–8s | 0 | N/A | Clean, product-forward |
| Website hero | 48px (desktop) | 6–12/min | 15 | 130–150 WPM | Premium, confident |
| Product Hunt | 56px | 15–25/min | 12 | 150–170 WPM | Authentic, founder-energy |

## Route to Spectra for production
Once the design choices are set, turn them into render parameters —
`references/spectra-design-map.md` maps font-size/dwell/safe-zone to the caption
banner geometry, cut-rate/one-idea-per-beat to `DemoScript` beat structure, and
philosophy/color to the `style` (`cool`/`warm`/`bold`) preset used by
`spectra_demo action=polish-clip`/`polish-script`.

> Those demo actions are part of the current Spectra build — if `spectra_demo` isn't
> in your live tool list, the plugin needs a rebuild + Claude Code restart (MCP
> restart boundary) before producing.

## References (load on demand)
- `references/SOURCE-GUIDE.md` — the full playbook (canonical source).
- `references/color.md` — 60-30-10, color→emotion map, dark/light, funnel-moment color.
- `references/typography.md` — word-density, font-size floors, dwell time, safe zones, kinetic text.
- `references/sound.md` — music BPM/mixing, VO pace, silence, voice tone.
- `Skill("spectra:audio-cues")` — beat→cue map, bed/cue prep levels, licensing rule.
- `references/pacing.md` — cut rate by channel, 3-second rule, pattern interrupts, one-idea-per-beat.
- `references/philosophies-antipatterns.md` — minimalist/high-design/lo-fi selector + anti-pattern fixes.
- `references/spectra-design-map.md` — design rules → Spectra polish/render parameters (the integration glue).

This skill AMPLIFIES `product-marketing` — that skill decides what/when/where;
this one decides how it feels. For the strategy layer (video type, length,
channel, story spine, funnel), load `Skill("spectra:product-marketing")`.

## Hybrid stories

For generated-from-scratch scenes or a storyline mixing captured app footage and explanations, use `story-builder`. It composes offline seekable HTML and imported renders with real captures, preserving this finishing workflow on one master clock. See [story studio](../../docs/story-studio.md).